Stronger than Blood
by Stunning Sunset
Summary: In which Genma is a mother hen, Kakashi is a lost puppy/big brother, and Sakura unwittingly makes them all a family. Everything began when Sakura attracted the attention of two lost, broken men. From then on, she couldn't help crossing the path of several ninja and becoming a permanent fixture in their lives, slowly evolving into a strong medic-nin over the years. M just in case
1. It All Starts with a Fall

What am I even doing, posting a new story while I have others I'm currently working on?! Maybe I've hit my head recently. Oh well. I figured I'd give you a taste of what I'm working on when I've had enough of the darker stuff I'm delving into with Third Time's the Charm. I'm trying something new, possibly fluffy and definitely light-hearted (at least for now).

Tell me what you think?

And once more, I own nothing you may recognize.

8888888888888888

Three-year-old Sakura was a bit of a shy child, which was why she generally preferred to play in her backyard rather than go to the playground. The children there tended to bully her and make fun of her forehead, so her backyard became her own little piece of paradise.

It wasn't that big, but there were a few trees she liked to play under or even climb when her mother wasn't watching, and several bushes and flower patches that she had to be careful not to crush by accident when she played. In her eyes, it was the best garden ever.

On one such day, warm and bright, young Sakura had been left to her own devices, her mother bustling about in the house, when a baby bird fell out of its nest, landing rather poorly on the ground. Sakura, who had been observing the nest for days now, gasped in dismay when the bird started crying out loudly, flapping about desperately but ineffectively. One of its little wings was bent at an unnatural angle, clearly broken.

Sakura left her toys on the ground and ran up to the little bird, cradling it gingerly in her hands.

The bird cried out in pain as it was jostled despite her best efforts, and the little girl winced a bit at the sound, but she was determined to help it.

"Shh, little birdie, I'm gonna help you," she murmured above the loud cries it emitted. It did little little to calm the creature, but she held it firmly if gingerly to stop it from aggravating its wound.

How she would do that, however, was another matter. She tried to straighten the bird's wing, only to have it flap about with even higher-pitched cries, and one thought ran through her head.

A few days ago, she had scraped her knee badly when falling down on the sidewalk, and she had bawled loudly, garnering the attention of a soft-hearted medic-nin who had been heading to the hospital and had stopped to heal her. There had been a glow about the man's hands, and then her wound had closed as if by magic, though the man had explained to her that it was chakra, something that all people had in them, and that he had simply sped up her healing process.

If he could do it, surely she could, too!

Keeping the bird from moving, she concentrated on that well of energy inside of her and let it flow down to her fingertips with the intent to heal the living creature.

It wasn't perfect. It wasn't miraculous. Her chakra nearly cooked the bird at some point when she didn't concentrate hard enough. But when she opened the eyes she had screwed shut in concentration, the bird wasn't trying to get away anymore. It was shivering in the palm of her hand, and it obviously wasn't healed completely yet, but while it clearly favoured its right wing, it could at least set it against its flank while it shuffled from foot to foot.

Her eyes lit up. She had done it! This was amazing!

Her hands were smarting and she felt tired even though she had recently taken a refreshing nap, but that was of no consequence. She had done it!

She let out a whoop of joy that startled her mother into getting out of the kitchen to see what her daughter was doing.

What she found surprised her.

"Sakura-chan? Honey? What are you doing?"

Was that a _bird_?

"Kaa-chan! Look! Look! This little birdie fell down the tree but I saved it!"

Leaning down over the bird presented to her, the mother frowned minutely, seeing that the bird was still not completely fine.

"That's good, sweetie, but now its mommy won't want to take care of it because you have touched it. You're going to have to take good care of it until it's all healed and can go live off on its own."

Sakura smiled brightly.

"I will!" she promised. And she did take care of that baby bird, getting better at healing it and feeding it most carefully over the next few days.

It surprised her when the bird didn't leave even after it was healed, but since its own mommy didn't look after it anymore, she decided to keep being the bird's mommy. Besides, now that she had a friend, even if it was one who couldn't talk, she wasn't alone anymore!

-:-

By the time the bird had healed, it had started following Sakura around, either perched on her shoulder or flying around behind her when she ran around.

Kotori-chan, as Sakura had dubbed it, was never far from her, and it was the little creature that first sensed an intruder in their little backyard.

With a high-pitched cry, the bird left Sakura's shoulder. Lifting her head, Sakura was just in time to see a dark form crash down from the biggest tree in the garden, landing on the ground with a loud thud.

Her eyes widened, and she rushed forward, heart pounding.

Dark clothing covered the man's body, the only lighter spots being a bone-white armour and mask that hid his face.

There were darker spots on the black clothing that translated into crimson streaks on that white armour, and if a few scrapes on the knees could hurt her enough to make her cry, then how much more should this man hurt?

Her parents were not in the house at the moment, trusting her to take care of herself in the backyard for a little while, and the front door was locked...

Exerting all her strength, straining against the unresponsive mass that was his body, she managed to prop the man up until he sat at the base of the tree, frowning when he didn't even twitch even though it couldn't have been comfortable or even painless to be moved so sloppily. She knew that people dressed like him were the bestest of the bestest of their village, ninja highly trained. He shouldn't have _not_ reacted. Was he even still alive? Had he died?

Afraid of such a thing, Sakura checked for his pulse, sighing in relief when she found it pounding a steady rhythm in his veins under her fingers.

Now came the hard part. Looking at Kotori-chan who was twittering down at her from her spot on a low branch, she took a steadying breath and recalled the feeling of her chakra flowing from her body to someone else's.

There was blood on her hands, warm and sticky, but she ignored it in favour of concentrating on her task, being so very careful not to use too much chakra lest she burn through the man's body like she had done by mistake with her bird at one point.

She closed her eyes, concentrating on what she felt through her chakra, on the tissues knitting themselves together under her guidance, on the blood vessels reattaching to one another, concentrated further...felt the cells move in unison…

And she lost herself in that warmth.

88888888

Just a little introduction of the characters. I don't know how long the chapters will be, since this is just a little project for the fun of it, but I think they will vary in length. Anyway, tell me what you think!


	2. In Which Genma Is Devious

I was completely amazed at the amount of reviews this story got after a single chapter. You guys rock! Hopefully, this chapter won't disappoint. A special thanks for the amazing TheRoseandtheDagger for being the first one to review this story. Also, I'm concurrently workingon my other stories, and I do hope t be able to update them soon! (Crazy characters doing whatever they like and stealing the show...)

I hope you'll enjoy this next installment!

8888888888888

Genma was used to dealing with stress. He had been one of the Yondaime's bodyguards and was a tokubetsu jounin, extremely adept at assassination missions for the sake of his village. When a death couldn't be attributed to their village, he was often the one sent to kill the target. It wasn't that he exactly liked these missions, but someone had to do them, had to get blood on their hands, and he actually had a better chance to make it out alive than many others.

Kakashi, too.

And Kakashi was missing.

This stress wasn't good for his heart.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop in search of his comrade, Genma frowned minutely to himself.

Kakashi had returned to the village, that he knew, and he had stopped at the Hokage Tower long enough to make his report to the Sandaime, but knowing him, he had probably forgone going to the hospital, which meant he either was at the Memorial Stone, or bleeding to death somewhere on the streets. He hoped for the former.

He didn't think he could bear contemplating Kakashi's death. As a fellow shinobi who had failed (RinObitoMinatoYondaime-sama), Kakashi knew well the weight of grief and how utterly debilitating it could be.

They had both overcome it, if only somewhat. At least enough to be functional shinobi again, if not functional human beings.

He didn't have Kakashi's nose but he was a decent tracker. It did help that he knew Kakashi's most probable destinations. It was unlikely his friend would deviate much from the straightest path he could take to go either home or to the Cenotaph.

It wasn't long before he spotted Kakashi's fluctuating chakra signature. Another, pale and feeble in comparison, was pretty much attached to it, and he wondered for an instant if the other man hadn't faced an opponent in their very village.

But if so, someone would have heard destruction noises, ninja would have rushed to the spot...

It wasn't enough to keep him from picking up his pace.

He lightly ran from rooftop to rooftop, occasionally using a tree to act as a stepping stone between two houses, noting subconsciously that he was in a part of the village mostly inhabited by civilians, where pretty little houses with a backyard could provide enough space for a small family.

He nearly faltered when he stumbled upon his not-quite-crazy-but-getting-there comrade. (As if he was any better.)

He leapt back in shock, anchored himself in a crouch atop the wall separating the garden in which his comrade was from the neighbouring one.

Goggling at the scene, his brain shortcircuited for a moment and he faltered in his actions.

That was...a moment worthy of being immortalized in pictures ready to be shown off as glorious pieces of blackmail at any given moment.

His heart slowed down gradually in his chest as he examined the garden with a critical eye.

What he had thought at first was simply Kakashi sleeping rather soundly at the base of a large tree with a (freakingadorable!) cute girl in his lap was actually more serious, if he was seeing things clearly (and he thought he did, it had been a while since he had been drunk enough to have hallucinations. Or been poisoned on a mission. Or...well.). Wasn't that glow caused by chakra?

(Really? Such a young girl?)

He ignored the insidious voice in his head that said that Kakashi had been a genius even at her age.

But what she was doing was dangerous. And it had to stop.

He wondered if she knew what she was doing as he swooped in, cradled her in his arms, and, severing the physical connection between her and Kakashi, kept her from going into chakra exhaustion.

Any medic worth their name would have known not to get so engrossed in their task they forgot themselves, but he doubted she had any training at all as she slumped in his arms.

"Foolish child," he murmured gently but with some affection despite his words, settling her down on the veranda and covering her with a rumpled chicks-patterned blanket lying forgotten among her toys.

Hopefully, by the time she awakened, she would think she had dreamed the whole thing. A good, long rest and she would be fine, if he was right about her state. She would need to drink plenty of fluids to get over her mild chakra exhaustion, but that was easily remedied as he sneaked into the house and returned moments later with a large glass of lemonade.

He carefully set it down next to her—though not so close that she risked toppling it over if she moved around in her exhaustion-induced sleep—and went back to the tree to pick up his grey-haired comrade.

"Geez, what am I going to do with you?" he wondered aloud.

Kakashi's large gash to the abdomen was mostly healed, and rather well at that, and he would be fine if he was careful and actually rested (but of course he would drag himself out of bed to go to the Memorial Stone, possibly reopening his wounds on the way there, stupid bastard that he was). That girl had done a good job.

He was well-used to injuries and Kakashi both, and he knew for sure his friend would make it out just fine, with only a few new scars to show for it.

What he didn't know, however, was how Kakashi would take this incident. He had a curious streak a mile wide. Would he be curious about the girl? He had the most unnerving feeling Kakashi would find himself a new way to spend his days.

(He wasn't sure if it would be any healthier than going to the Memorial Stone, but...well, at least it would be _slightly_ less creepier than spending his time in a graveyard. He'd just have to make sure Kakashi wasn't found out during his stalking/observing, but he'd always been good at cleaning up after his comrades.)

-:-

Kakashi's consciousness came back to him like switching on a light. Normally, he would have tensed at finding himself anywhere but in the hospital after blacking out so shamefully on his way home.

This time, however, he easily recognized the smells of his own home, dust and canines and blood, and thanked silently whoever it was that had found him and brought him home instead of forcing him to escape the hospital as soon as he woke up.

He was sprawled none-too-elegantly atop his bed, and his body relaxed even more as he remembered that he had at least two days off to recover before even thinking of setting off on a mission (the old man Hokage was annoying like that). And then he realized that he was not experiencing the throbbing, insistent pain he was expecting (except the crink in his neck from his awful sleeping posture).

He rolled onto his back.

Damn it.

Alright, so maybe he wasn't healed completely and would benefit from taking it slow today.

At least he was alone.

He got a whiff of sandalwood as he sniffed slightly to identify who had taken him home.

Oh. Genma.

Well, it made sense. Genma was one of the few who knew where he lived and knew him well enough to know he'd prefer to recover alone than to be dragged to the hospital (or cared about it). Still, he'd have to thank him for patching him up before leaving.

Oh well, he'd get up.

At some point.

-:-

So, who would he get to keep him warm tonight?

There was a pretty brunette at a nearby stall...

Or maybe the blonde who was eyeing him from beside a fruit vendor. She did have pretty eyes...

And then, his eyes were attracted to a tall, lanky frame lounging against the wall of an apartment complex nearby, on the other side of the market...The fact that he didn't bother to hide in the shadows told him he was here to find him.

Sighing inwardly, Genma crossed the square, wondering if maybe he could go back to finding a prospective partner for the night once he was done dealing with Kakashi.

He imitated the other man, slinking up to him and leaning against the wall as soon as he sided up to him, and merely asked a "Yeah?" in a rather mellow and disinterested tone.

He continued to observe the young civilian women moving about the market, patiently waiting for Kakashi to decide when he was going to open his mouth.

('Cause of course, Kakashi often got lost on the road of life in his own mind, so that could take a while. Genma could afford to get comfortable.)

He got lost in his contemplation of feminine beauty, knowing that once Kakashi was ready, he would talk.

"Thanks."

He blinked, nearly checked the sky to make sure meteorites weren't about to wipe out Konoha.

"Right..."

"I didn't know you had polished up on your medical skills recently," said Kakashi in a seemingly detached tone. (Yeah, right. Always look beneath the underneath. Especially when it came to Hatake Kakashi.)

"I haven't." Kakashi hummed, but Genma could sense the raised eyebrow begging for more information in the nonchalent sound.

"Oh?"

"You were passed out in a civilian's backyard," replied Genma almost gleefully, for he would tease his friend with that incidnt repeatedly in the upcoming months.

There was a slight tightening at the corner of Kakashi's visible eye.

"Oh?"

Genma smirked inwardly at the ever so slight curious lilt to the gray-haired man's voice.

"Yeah, a pretty little thing she was. I thought she had done enough of a good job to simply leave you home afterward."

Might as well give in to the inevitable, it would hurt less in the long run. He hoped.

This time, Kakashi actually turned his head infinitemasically toward him, and Genma merely raised an eyebrow, rolling his senbon to the other side of his mouth.

"Quite cute, for a civilian," he said with the barest hint of a smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"I might just have to swing by and say thanks," murmured Kakashi, strolling off at last.

Looking at the back of his friend, Genma silently sent his apologies to the pink-haired child for siccing the curious man on her. At least, he reasoned, he would probably stay hidden while observing her, and he much preferred for the man to obsess over a living person rather than a dead one.

He felt vaguely bad for the poor, unsuspecting child but quickly shook off the feeling. He was a ninja, and ninja were devious creatures.

Still, maybe he should keep an eye out for her to make sure Kakashi didn't do anything to scar the poor girl for life. (And beyond, 'cause that was the one place where you couldn't avoid someone.)


	3. A Tentative Approach

Can you believe I've actually had most of this written since forever? I know... I had quite a few RL projects that positively consumed me until I was a frothing mess with my brain leaking out of my ears. Still, I managed to scrape by enough to deliver this to you. I hope it's enjoyable, my dear readers!

Thanks for all the lovely reviews!

88888888888

Kakashi unsurprisingly wasted no time in tracking down the female who had healed him (stopping a few hours to lounge on a deliciously warm rooftop with his Icha Icha didn't count. Reading Jiraiya's masterpiece was as necessary as breathing. And no, he wasn't an addict, just a connoisseur of fine literature, thank you very much.).

Of course, recon was of prime importance. Second-hand knowledge was unreliable at best, especially since Genma liked to play mind games.

Another thing of importance was not letting your target spot you until all relevant knowledge was compiled.

Which brought Kakashi to his current position, aka huddling in the crook of a large branch while observing a seemingly innocuous house from his vantage point.

Patience. He would undoubtedly soon see the female who had closed his wounds. 

-:- 

Perched in a tree, cautiously out of sight of the house he was observing, Kakashi kept his gaze sharp behind his binoculars. There were two females in the house that he could see from his vantage point, a middle-aged woman and a young child with pink hair (like those pieces of candy he got as thanks from a noble's daughter when he rescued her from kidnappers some six months ago). They were cooking in the kitchen, the child making a mess as children were wont to do, a cloud of flour rising up suddenly in the small room.

He chuckled as the child shrieked and waved her hands around, desperately trying to disperse the cloud. In so doing, she unwittingly jarred the table, sending her bowl toppling to the floor to join the flour bag, more dry ingredients rising up in the air.

Her mother seemed relatively calm about it all, simply wiping her daughter's cheeks free of flour when the cloud had abated and ruffling her pink locks to dislodge some of the white mist that had settled onto it with a teasing grin.

It was such a domestic scene, but surprisingly, he did not feel the usual jab of pain in his chest when he witnessed such things. Instead, he simply felt warm amusement as he refrained from laughing under his breath.

Still, as fun as it was to observe the two females, they were not the one he wanted information on.

He spared a glance at the sky. The sun was setting. It came to reason that a young civilian woman would soon come home for dinner. He had but to wait.

The tree shook as someone joined him on a nearby branch (just above him, in fact.) He irritably (somehow managing to still seem aloof) pushed a foot away from his face, only to send the leg swinging to and fro in front of his face, obscuring his binoculars. With a sigh, he looked up at the man lounging on the branch.

"Can I help you, Shiranui?" he asked dryly.

The man smiled brightly (nerve-gratingly so) at him.

"'Sup, Hatake? Looking for a certain benefactor of yours, I get it?"

He returned to spying on (observing) the two females.

"Well, what do you think? Cute, huh?"

Kakashi leveled a blank gaze at Genma.

"What?"

"The girl. You know, cute, sweet, has a grreat smile and pretty jewel eyes?"

Kakashi fixed him with a deadpan if slightly incredulous gaze.

"That _can't_ be her."

"And how would you know, huh?" replied Genma smugly. "May I remind you your sorry, scrawny ass was unconscious during the whole thing?"

The Hatake hid a grimace under his mask and merely replied pleasantly, "And yet, you should know better than to try to trick me."

Genma shrugged, pillowing his head on his forearm as he leaned back on his branch, letting the hand holding his own set of binoculars dangle next to his comrade.

"Whatever you say, but if take a look at the girl, I think you'll find she's making a model of your vascular system on the table using her soba noodles. You might not be the only genius around. Food for thought!"

Genma leapt away as Kakashi trained his binoculars on the house once more, only to see the mother shake her head in exasperation at the child and take a rag to wipe down her not-so-pristine table. 

-:- 

Kakashi was more stubborn than he had thought, Genma mused, as it took him all of three days to admit defeat and slink back to him with his metaphorical tail between the legs, looking a bit put-out as he poured himself into a chair next to him at his favourite bar. (And really, what were his bones made of, rubber?)

"Finally admitted the truth, huh?" jested the senbon-user good-naturedly, eying him mirthfully.

Kakashi sighed (he was probably pouting, the damn bastard) and muttered, "Is there something on my face?"

"Nope, unfortunately. I was hoping the cold slap of reality as the truth hit you would have left a mark, but I guess it was just psychological. Pity."

In retaliation, Kakashi flicked a peanut that was lying forgotten on the counter with diabolical precision, snickering softly when it smacked his companion right between the eyes.

"Real mature, Hatake."

"Thank you, I thought so too."

Genma rubbed the sore spot gingerly with a glare and a pout and lifted his chin with a sniff.

"Fine, be that way, you emotional clusterfuck. I'll let you untangle yourself, then."

Kakashi let his head thump down on the counter.

He muttered something unintelligible and vaguely discouraged into it.

Genma shook his head. 

-:- 

Several days passed by, almost sluggishly for some people, before Sakura's normalcy was disrupted once again.

It was a bright day, and her mother had disappeared off to the market, leaving her calm daughter in the garden with her feathery friend.

It was her little bird who first sensed something different and alerted her with chirps and tweets.

Sakura, who had been watching a particularly interesting butterfly—red and yellow and so very pretty—looked up and, seeing her friend making circles above a bush at the far end of the garden, ambled in that direction curiously.

The bush rustled a bit at her approach; before she could check it out, a small form stepped out of it and shook itself out to get rid of stray twigs and leaves.

Her surprise turned into amazement as she melted inside from the utter cuteness of the revealed creature.

"How cuuuute!" she exclaimed, glomping the poor, innocent creature to her chest despite its oof as air left its tiny body.

"Hey, girl, be careful there, will ya?" it grunted in a growly voice.

She nearly dropped the small dog in surprise. Looking at it at arm's length, she whispered, "Whoa, that's amazing! You can talk!"

"Of course, I can, girlie," huffed the pug. "I'm not a normal dog. See the hitai-ate? I'm a ninken. Now put me down, will ya? This is not very dignified."

She complied, still scrutinizing him with amazement.

"Wow…Do all ninken talk like you?" she asked, wondering how different this dog was from the ones she knew.

"Not all, we gotta learn. We're not like you humans who learn this instinctively when you're young. We have to be taught. Most of my comrades can talk like me."

She nodded, sitting back on her haunches with her head cupped between her tiny fists while he explained this to her like a diminutive teacher.

"That's amazing! Could I have a talking dog, too?"

It observed her shrewdly.

"Not all dogs can be ninken, and there's the contract you have to sign, too. You have to become a ninja first, and then form a contract with a kind of animal by either managing to find the home of these animals—and it's really hard to do—or sign the contract scroll of someone who has a contract. That's what happens, most of the time, in ninja clans."

"Oh. So could I sign your contract, d'you think?" she asked hopefully. "I really like dogs."

"Maybe one day, but then you'd have to find my summoner. He's the one who sent me here, actually, 'cause he's too much of a pussy to thank you himself for healing him recently."

She didn't know what being a cat had to do with anything, but she supposed his summoner could have a cat's face. Maybe that was why he had on a mask? If dogs could talk, maybe cat people existed, too. Her eyes shone brightly at the thought. The fact that the person she had healed had sent her his thanks did not hold a candle to the discovery of cat-people. Even so, it was strange that a cat-person would be a dog's summoner…Perhaps cat-people were dog persons?

"Really? Yay! Thanks, um…"

"Pakkun's the name, girlie."

"And mine's Sakura! Nice to meet you!"

They shook on it solemnly while, hiding in a nearby tree, Kakashi sweatdropped as he heard the girl's next question.

"Say, your summonner…does he have whiskers under his mask?"

He winced as Genma, who had not been able to stay away from a potentially humiliating experience for his friend, thus acutely funny to him, bit down on his fist to hold off the laughter that was racking his frame, tears leaking from his eyes like waterfalls. He had a feeling that if he didn't find a way to make Genma shut up, there would be a whole new slew of rumours about him come morning. Maybe he could find a way to make Genma disappear on his next mission…Or would hitting him over the head conveniently make him forget about the last few minutes?

888888888888

This was fun to write! I promise next time there'll be an actual face-to-face communication!


	4. Summer Meeting

Everyone, thanks for the reviews, they always make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Special thanks to those of you who told me I was good at depicting a child's reactions, that is one of the things I'm most anxious about.

88888888888

The day was bright, as far as cloudy days went. It was also unbearably hot, as the thin cover of grey clouds stretched across the sky did nothing to keep the sun from making Konoha into a large sauna.

As such, many people stayed indoors if they could or looked for shade and water. of course, that didn't apply to the ninja part of the population as ,much as they wished it did.

Of course, there was a number of shinobi willing to rest in the shade on such a hot day, but the hardcore ones, the ones who had no idea what to do on an off day in the first place except train, were in hell.

Kakashi, especially, was affected badly by the heat due to his stubborn refusal to take off his mask. It was more than stubbornness on his part, however. At least half of it was survival instinct.

"You sure you don't want to give up?"

Ignoring the mocking call with all the practiced ease of a saint, he wove his fingers into well-known hand seals and prompted the water from the nearby stream to form into a water dragon. It shot toward the treeline, thoroughly drenching one particular nuisance out of an oak tree and sending a flock of birds flying away with screeches of outrage.

Unfortunately, there was only an amused "Thanks for the shower, much appreciated" in return as Genma flicked a wet lock of hair away from his face with a shit-eating grin.

Kakashi refused to let the troublesome man disturb him (never mind that he would have wiped his face long ago if he hadn't had an audience).

"You're going to faint from the heat, you know, and then I'll be the one stuck with having to cart your ungrateful arse to the hospital. Do you know how humiliating it would be if word got out that one of our finest, a man our enemies tremble before upon seeing, was felled by a simple, easily-avoidable heatstroke?"

The annoyance had a point, much as he'd like to deny it. Still, he wouldn't give him the time of day so soon. He did have his pride.

Still, one hour later, even the stubborn Hatake had to admit that going on would be pointless. He was sweaty and tired, especially since he hadn't taken the time to rest after his last mission and giving his report to the Hokage that very morning, and was still wearing his ANBU uniform, and damn it, Genma was getting on his nerves (though that could be seen as a different kind of endurance training).

"Say, shouldn't you get out of your uniform? The Hokage's got other ANBU, you know. No need to kill yourself both out there _and_ here at home. You can afford to relax, once in a while."

Kakashi's first reflex was to punch him in the face, because what did he have, if one took away his lifelihood from him? If he wasn't a ninja, what was left of him? He had already lost so many people because of his weakness...

With a deep breath, he clenched his hands, gaze distant, and kept walking out of the training grounds.

"Hey, it's alright..." said Genma gently, putting a warm hand on Kakashi's shoulder in support. He was no stranger to guilt either.

The harsh lines around Kakashi's covered eyes eased somewhat as he shrugged.

"Shiranui, are you getting soft in your elder years?"

Just with that, the serious mood was broken.

"Hey! I'll show you soft, you damn genius! I have to leave tonight on a mission, but when I return, it's on!"

"Don't pout when I win," warned Kakashi semi-seriously, both of them choosing to ignore that making promises was their way of saying "I'll be back alive and well" and "I'll be waiting for you." Saying it out loud would somehow diminish the meaningfulness of the sentiments.

A beat. "And you'll owe me dinner."

"You're _always_ sponging off me anyway, you greedy bastard!"

Still, there was the hint of a smile on both of their faces as walked side by side in direction of the nearest ice cream parlour. 

-:- 

The streets were busy with sweating people looking for relief in the shape of shade and/or cold treats, children enthusiastically dragging their parents to ice cream parlours and sweets shops. Bedraggled parents followed tiredly, longing for hamacs and pools.

Among the bustling life of Konoha, a pink blur streaked through the throngs of people with cries of joy, weaving around the legs of strangers to get to the goal.

The goal being, in this case, a small shop on the other side of the street where her mother would buy her the most delicious ice cream she had ever tasted.

And there it was!

BANG!

She fell on her butt, blinking owlishly up at the stranger she had just run into, too surprised to think of crying.

The rotund man turned around and rounded on her, face crimson in anger. In his hand, there was a single cone, the remnants of the ice treat it had once housed smeared across his shirt.

"You stupid child, look what you have done! My shirt is ruined and you owe me another ice cream!"

The man made to grab the frightened, paralyzed child; with a snarl, two dogs intercepted him, staring him down with fangs bared, jowls shaking.

"Stand down. It was an accident."

The man turned even redder, if at all possible.

"This child—!"

"Ran into you by accident. Stand _down_."

The girl was hoisted onto the back of the bigger of the two dogs, a monster of a dog, truth be told, but refused to let go of the smaller one.

"Pacchan!" she hiccuped. "The scary man's mean..."

"Bull, take the girlie to the boss," replied the pug before reassuring the girl. "Hang on to him, I'll be with you in a bit."

The man fumed, protesting insistently.

"Hey, you!"

"A problem here?" came a calm, cold voice from behind him as a firm hand clamped onto his shoulder with near-bruising force. 

-:- 

Kakashi observed the situation from his vantage point as Genma dealt with the man in a much more socially-acceptable way than he would have as Bull bounded onto the roof where he had been lounging previously with the pink-haired girl on his back. The big dog grunted in happiness as he approached and whined in pleasure when his master gave him a good scratch behind the ears.

"Oh...Oh! You're Pacchan's summm...summo...summoner, right? Thank you very much!"

She smiled brightly at him; Kakashi remained stoic, nodding slightly in return, but even the slight movement seemed to satisfy her.

Genma landed next to them with a low thump, Pakkun hot on his heels. He directed a large smile at the child, crouching next to her.

"Hey there! My name's Shiranui Genma. Forget about this silent guy. What's your name, pretty lady?"

Large green eyes pierced him better than any kunai could. "My name is Haruno Sakura," she said carefully, enunciating every word slowly in a bid for clarity. "Is...Is the scary man not mad anymore?"

"Don't worry 'bout that, girlie, me an' the guy took care of things," replied Pakkun, looking at her with a decisive nod.

She looked at the dog with beguiling eyes, making Genma inwardly sigh in relief. He didn't quite know how to face such innocent and clear eyes.

"He's not mad anymore?"

"Nah, we explained and stuff," replied Pakkun, not totally unhappy when Sakura hugged him close to her chest. At least she wasn't trying to suffocate him like so many other children.

"I didn't mean to run into the big man...I tried to avoid him but I was going too fast and then he stepped back straight into me!"

"We know, we saw it and that's what we explained to him," said Genma, rolling his senbon from one side of his mouth to another with a sincere grin.

Kakashi, who was content with remaining silent, saw the ruthless glint in his comrade's eyes even if Sakura didn't but wisely didn't comment on it, knowing that there must have been a certain dose of killing intent involved in the peace talks.

"Now, pretty girl, it's been nice meeting you and saving a pretty damsel in distress, but what say you we get you back to your mother, hm?"

The girl's eyes widened as she thought of her mother who, by now, must be worrying about her.

Before she could say anything, though, an arm wrapped around her and suddenly, she was flying with a shadow at her side. In a few thrilling leaps, the shadow deposited her back on the street, in plain view of her mother who rushed to her with a relieved sigh and crushed her to her breast despite her protests.

Kakashi turned to leave, desperately wanting to avoid anything like emotional reunions, and nearly stumbled as Sakura called out to him a last time before he jumped back to the rooftops.

"Goodbye and thank you, Neko-san!"

He waved lazily over his shoulder and joined a laughing Genma on the roofs.

"You...She called you Neko-san! Hahaha! Neko-san, she said!"

Kakashi, once again, gritted his teeth against the urge to punch his friend in the face, something that was happening to him more and more recently. Maybe he'd go rogue at some point, just to have the satisfaction.

Pakkun just had to choose that time to pipe up, "Don't worry, Boss, you still look plenty dog to me."

While Bull growled his agreement, Kakashi wondered when he had lost his ability to stay foolish tongues with just a glare.

88888888888

A long time in coming, but was it worth it?


	5. Taming a Death God and Other Shenanigans

Hello, guys! I hope you're enjoying this time of the year with your loved ones, I sure am! (But I did think of you, see? I do hope you enjoy this little present, it made me feel all fuzzy inside to write it.)

Happy New Year to all of you!

8888888888888

Sakura's parents had rapidly noticed that their daughter was pretty used to spending her time alone when they were not around to supervise her. The neighbour they asked to check on her during their absences had related to them how the girl usually kept to herself in the garden or at the park and once she proved to them that she knew how to take care of herself for a few hours, they didn't bother to ask their neighbour to do more than the occasional visit to make sure everything was alright. Besides, Sakura knew to go to the middle-aged woman if she needed anything.

The girl had noticed that when she was alone, Pakkun tended to appear mysteriously in her backyard to play with her (or keep an eye on her, but meh, she was a big girl). She was glad, as she rather liked the small pug, and this was why she missed him when several weeks passed by without a glimpse of him.

Her mother had gathered that she missed her "doggy friend" and, because of her daughter's pouting, had even offered to buy her a dog of her own, but Sakura had stubbornly told her that it wouldn't be the same. Her mother hadn't offered that ever since then as a simple pet just wouldn't do.

She was so happy (and relieved, too, she had been wondering) when she saw the little dog emerge from under a bush in her backyard. She squealed, running up to him to embrace him, barely keeping tabs of her surroundings, but the pug danced out of reach, eyes darting here and there in nervousness.

"Girlie, listen to me, I don't have much time. My summoner is coming. Here. For you."

She wanted to speak, but he didn't let her interrupt him.

"Listen. Every time I have been here, so has he. It's become...therapeuthic for him. It's done him good, to see someone innocent, untainted by his profession. He actually does it after most missions, coming by to get a glimpse of you. And he's coming now, but he's more on edge than usual and I don't know—"

And then, with nary a sound, a death god materialized in front of her.

She merely blinked, whereas Pakkun hostilely took a stand not quite in front of her to seem less like a threat. The tall man remained utterly still for a moment, his whole being impressive to her young eyes. The white of his armour and mask were marred by crimson streaks and splotches, but the rest of him was as dark as night. She could not see his eyes, but she sensed they were perusing her form, scrutinizing her with a sharp gaze.

It occured to her to move as he took a step in her direction, but her body didn't budge—not out of fear, surprisingly, but something deep within her was telling her not to, that the man wouldn't hurt her. He took another step, sure-footed if ver so slightly cautious (she could see tension in his legs, as though he was ready to bold at any time, hear the slight shuffling of his sandals against the ground). His foot dragged lightly across the grass as he took another step (a little jerky, but otherwise normal).

Then he dropped to his knees, arms wrapping tightly around her, and she was suddenly crushed to his chest. His nose was buried in her pastel hair, and she could feel his breath tickle her skin with each shuddery exhalation of his.

She wasn't quite sure what to do. What if she spooked him?

Clumsily, her arms rose slowly to wrap around his back. The armor made him seem bulkier than he really was; underneath it, despite the muscles she could sense, he seemed almost frail. (Fragile.) Certainly less bulky than her own father.

"Shinobi-san," she began, then faltered. She tried again. "Would you…Would you like a cup of tea?"

Her mother had always taught her to welcome guests, and this was a guest, wasn't it? A guest who had come to see her? (And how amazing was _that_?) Besides, that person was clearly upset and warm tea did more than ease upset stomachs.

The man gingerly loosened his hold on her, just enough so that she could tilt her head up to stare into his grimacing mask.

"I can make you one. If you want."

He nodded briefly, jerkily, hands falling to either side of his rather scrawny body like so much dead weigth.

She stepped back, began heading to the house, then realized that he had not moved an inch, body tense as though expecting an attack. With a cautious glance at him, she reached for his hand and took it in her small one despite the involuntary twitch it made upon contact. He followed her without protest as she pulled him behind her and into the house. (No, more than a house, his mind supplied. A home. Something that was as alien to him as sleeping in on an off day. Something that he hadn't known since he had found his father dead by his own hand in their ancestral house.)

She let go of his hand once they were inside, and he stayed at the treshold of the kitchen as she dragged a stool to the sink, looking singularly out of place and uncomfortable as she climbed it to gain access to the sink and fill the kettle.

Pakkun, who had trailed behind them, heaved a long-suffering sigh and pointedly nudged Kakashi forward.

"Come on, you idiot, help her!" he hissed as Sakura struggled with her heavy load, threatening to spill half of it down her front. Now that the tension levels were dropping, he could relax a bit, especially since he had a contingency plan already in motion. He only had to wait things out.

Like an automaton, Kakashi stepped forward and took the kettle from her hands, putting it on the stove and turning it on. As he stepped back, Sakura gave him a wide smile and a hearty thanks that made him feel…something. He chose to ignore the feeling and locked it down behind an impassive façade. She didn't seem deterred as she merely climbed on the counter to reach the cupboard where her mother stored her tea set.

He deftly caught sight of a cup needing but a careless movement to fall and snatched it out of midair when it inevitably did. He handed it to the surprised but grateful girl, awkwardly nodding in return. He didn't know how else to react. Most of the missions he was sent on ended in people cursing his name and fearing his appearance, not thanking him. Especially not for something as mundane.

"My mom would have been sooo mad if I had broken that cup!" whispered the pinkette with wide eyes, urging him to understand the gravity of the situation. "That set was given to her by my dad's mom, and since she's not around anymore, we must be very careful with them," she recited with all the seriousness of one who had been impressed with those very words more than once.

Kakashi let himself be led to the table and be sat down on a chair while Sakura bustled around in the kitchen, gradually feeling stress leave him as she set down a cup in front of him and rummaged for snacks.

-:-

On an average day, Genma liked to leave his fellow ninja well enough alone, thank you very much, when they returned from a mission. It was one of those unwritten rules of the Shinobi Code (come to think of it, most of the important stuff of that code was non-written. Hm...) that if a ninja returning from a mission wanted company, he or she would find you and then you'd end up wasted the following morning with no clear memories of all the embarrasing things you could have said or done the previous evening, thankfully. (Or not so thankfully, as the ones witnessing said embarrassing moments usually had no qualms about divulging all of it the next day, usually in bright and chipper voices that grated on the poor hungover ninja's frayed nerves. In fact, it then usually devolved into a training session/manhunt. Another of those non-written customs that baffled civilians.)

As such, when he himself returned, bruised and battered, from a mission, he liked to wind down before actively seeking out company, and he found it irritating when someone hunted him down first before he felt ready to acknowledge the world. (Pretty women were an exception, but weren't they ever?) Therefore, he felt very annoyed at the moment despite the best puppy eyes of the one he faced.

"Come on, we're worried!"

He shook his head, undaunted, and chose to ignore the fat tears gathering in those eyes. Already, he could feel the tug at his heartstrings. He had to resist, or he'd never be left alone.

More puppy eyes.

He merely jumped off the roof and onto another, wishing he could close off his ears as the whining continued, and wondered how long they would follow him. Maybe a well-placed senbon could do the job...

"If you don't do anything, we'll have to take drastic measures!"

There was a grunt of approval from his second stalker.

Or maybe the senbon could be used to paralyze the annoying duo so he could make his escape...

"Please do, it would save us all much hassle," he muttered tensely.

"Thanks for the permission."

As he took another jump, something sharp grabbed his backside and hauled him off, screeching and all, off to his doom as he grabbed at his pants to make sure they didn't fall off.

His indignant screeches were heard all over Konoha.

He cursed Kakashi's dogs.

-:-

Having resigned himself to it, Genma sighed deeply as he unraveled a spool of ninja wire and handed one end to to Bull. The big dog bit down on it without much prompting, at least, once he gave him a flat stare, and he let the other end dangle down the roof upon which he crouched with Kakashi's persistent pack.

"You'd better not let me fall," he warned seriously. He _would_ be pissed if he fell on his ass because of those two.

"Aye aye, sir," saluted the other dog with a grin.

"Can it," growled the human as he slowly descended down the wire like a spider down its thread. Once he was face to face with the window, he slowly inched it open, making sure not to make a noise, and breathed a sigh in relief as he could finally hear the trickle of voices from the house.

Or rather, just one voice. Shouldn't he hear at least two?

With a frown, he cursed his nosiness and opened the window just a little more to see what was going on properly.

From the other side of the room, a black gaze stared right back at him, so intense he felt like a dark aura was about to strangle him to death. Sweatdropping, he waved weakly back and slowly closed the window.

A kunai flashed out of the opening before it closed, snapping his wire, and he tumbled into the bushes with a yelp. Before he could even think to get up, two dogs fell off the roof straight onto him, knocking the wind out of him.

With more than just his body hurting, he wondered if his day could get any worse.

-:-

Omake

The nurse bounced her way down the corridor, humming under her breath. She felt particularly swell on that day, her hair was perfectly put up and she had a date that night with a sexy young man. She felt good about this day. She would land the guy and make all her friends jealous, ha!

A light rattle startled her out of her thoughts.

Curious, she stopped walking, staring at the door in confusion. There were no patients in that room, nor in the ones adjacent. Tiptoeing, she made her way to the door and opened it a crack to peer into the room beyond. Maybe she would catch a doctor and a nurse in the middle of a tryst?

Her eyes widened as she caught sight of a bottomless ninja giving himself a shot on the ass, grumbling all the while about fleas and dogs. As he turned around to grab a bottle of disinfectant, she could see clearly a row of bite marks on him, and she wondered briefly how a ninja could get bitten on such a sensitive place.

Then he took off his shirt to deal with the bruises on his chest and she was granted a prime view of what a shinobi looked like under his clothes. And boy, did she like what she saw.

With a secretive smile, she walked in purposefully, closed the door with a click and turned the key in the lock. Then, she turned to the man who was now sheepishly covering his privates with his shirt.

"Hey, big boy, let me help you with that. Something tells me you need a... _professional_ touch," she purred with a lascivious grin.

88888888888

Reviews are love, people!


	6. How to Strongarm Kakashi into Eating

Before starting on a new chapter of TTC, I decided to go with something more light-hearted. Dark thoughts still plague me now and then and I don't want to be depressed, so I'll work on TTC slowly. Anyway, I hope this will be a fun break for you all.

88888888888888

Genma didn't know how he had never realized before that spying on kids could be so entertaining. (Oh yeah, he had always avoided them like the plague. Fancy that.)

He was lounging lazily in a tree, gazing sleepily at the pink-haired kid he was really starting to have affection for. What could he say? She was just too adorable.

So now, having escaped from the hospital as any sane ninja would, he had chosen to convalesce in the tree he favored to look over Sakura's garden. It might not have been the best idea he could have come up with, as he had to stifle his laughter more than once, which tended to jar his broken ribs.

"Oh, Sakura-chan, you're just so precious," he murmured to himself with a smile, watching the child try, yet again unsuccessfully, to climb over the wall surrounding the garden.

With a yelp, the pinkette fell again, her fall cushioned by a bush that was becoming steadily more tattered as time went on. Her mother would probably burst an artery, but hey, the next time she tried to escape, Sakura would be more careful.

He watched her do this twice more before taking pity on her and getting up from his perch. He lightly jumped from his tree to the wall and walked leisurely up to where she was, still now, trying to scale the smooth surface.

Crouching, he picked up the cloth-covered box she had adroitly managed to get on top of the wall via clever use of a long branch that had unfortunately snapped when she had tried to use it to get herself up the wall too. Twirling it on one finger, he called out, "Heya there, Sakura-chan! Whatcha up to?"

With an eep, she fell once more, having not realized he was there. She looked up at him with wide green orbs, startled.

"Remember me?" he asked the bewildered child. "Shiranui Genma, tokubetsu jounin. At your service, little lady."

Recognition shone in her eyes. "Oh! You're the one who saved me from the meanie!"

Genma chuckled at her innocent words.

"And it was my pleasure. Now, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to find Neko-san and give him my homemade bento!" she exclaimed proudly, puffing up her chest.

Genma looked at her with surprise evident on his face, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"You made it all by yourself?"

"Yup! Kaa-san showed me how!"

And indeed, he could spy the remains of a tornado in the kitchen from the open window and colorful bandages with printed chicks on her fingers from where she had probably cut herself preparing the meal.

"And why were you looking for…Neko-san to give him that bento?"

"'Cause he's just so scrawny!" she exclaimed with big hand movements to punctuate her point. "That can't be healthy! Kaa-san always says that a good day starts by a good meal and that 'food is a good way to show app-app-appreciation' so I made this bento to say thanks for helping me that time! And I thought maybe his dogs would like some, too!"

This was just too good to pass up. With a mischievous grin, Genma reached down and hoisted the little girl up the wall. He crouched in front of her, grin widening.

"Well, come on, then, better not keep the old sourpuss waiting. Hop on, girlie, I'll give you a ride."

As soon as she was settled safely on his back and he handed her the bento, he sprang from the wall and headed straight for the training grounds. Knowing Kakashi, there were high chances that was where he was.

-:-

Of course, nobody could go around Konoha without running into at least one ninja on the way. That was doubly true when heading to the training grounds. And as Genma took the fastest route, exactly like any ninja worth his salt, it was no surprise they encountered someone he knew while looking for Kakashi.

He had made sure to be discreet (No one wanted to be accused of kidnapping sweet young girls. Except maybe people like Orochimaru who seemed to thrive on being disturbing, but he was a case apart, one notch above everyone else in terms of craziness.), but of course there was no way to avoid unpredictable events from happening. And running into Gai was one of those.

One might think that the taijutsu expert would be easily found at the training grounds at any time of the day, thus them running into him was just a matter of predictability, but it was not so. As a matter of fact, Genma was very acutely aware of Gai's training regimen and he should easily have avoided his old teammate.

Except that, apparently, Gai had decided to switch things around on this fine morning and was jogging on his hands atop the river stream as they passed by instead of still be doing laps around the village.

Upon seeing them cross the bridge, the green-clad man waved cheerily at them and walked up to them (still on his hands, of course) and had Sakura staring at him, impressed as he countered gravity so easily when making his way up the side of the bridge.

He smiled blindingly at them, doing a handstand on a single hand as he made a thumbs up at them, and boomed, "My youthful friend! What takes you out here on this bright and sunny day with such a pretty lady on your back?"

Sakura's cheeks pinkened at the compliment. She was not used to be called pretty. Most of the time, people made fun of her for her large forehead. She decided instantly that she liked the eccentric man.

"Genma-san is taking me to Neko-san!" she chirped brightly.

"Yup, yup," confirmed Genma. "We're taking a lovely homemade bento for him since he's such a scarecrow, you know? He needs to be fattened up some. So I offered myself as a piggyback ride to our mutual friend." And then he had a genius if malicious idea. "Want to come with?"

This would prove to be interesting if Gai came with them.

Gai already had tears streaming down his face, the gloriously emotional man.

"Certainly, my youthful friend! I'm sure our friend would be glad to know he has friends who take his health to heart! I shall come with you to reaffirm our bond of friendship!"

At least, despite his appearance, Gai had a bright mind, and had understood Genma's hint that Kakashi had not told Sakura his real name. He would not divulge it by mistake. Sometimes, Genma felt that people were often too quick to write Gai off as a complete nutjob. In fact, the man was just so possessed with his love for taijutsu (which stemmed from his desire to protect his teammates) that they forgot he was a genius in his own rights. Of course, when compared to Kakashi, many people tended to be eclipsed in that way. And the fact that Gai was so flamboyant actually helped him hide his monstrous strength. Genma had a feeling his friend was quite aware of it and was actually playing the part to draw people's attention away from that fact. (Maybe not all of it was a façade, but it certainly helped him in being treated like a human rather than a lethal weapon.) In fact, many ninja took up strange hobbies or played up their quirks, both to keep civilians from shivering in fear when they saw them or simply as a coping mechanism after years of stressful situations.

And Gai was always good as a catalyst to make people explode in his face and let out some steam rather than implode on a mission and come back in a casket.

And Kakashi desperately needed an outlet for his violent, dark and depressing thoughts. Gai could handle his aggression well and exhaust him enough that the latent simmering anger in the silver-headed man would be drained for a moment.

And so Genma continued to head for the training grounds, this time choosing to take the streets in order to give Gai a chance at accompanying them still on his hands. On the way there, Sakura bombarded Gai with questions that the man felt compelled to answer, so unused was he to people actually wanting to talk to him instead of fleeing upon seeing him.

-:-

Kakashi was in the middle of his training when he sensed the trio coming his way, but by then it was too late to flee. He knew they were headed straight for him and at that distance, they could sense him too. Besides, Gai was stubborn enough to follow him to the end of the world if he tried to escape him. In the end, no matter how much it grated him, it was less exhausting to simply wait for them and just less time-consuming. He didn't have the energy to fend off an enthusiastic Gai.

So he just watched warily as the trio approached and Genma let Sakura scamper down from his back, hiding a slight wince as he straightened. Vindictively, as he watched Sakura approach with something like trepidation, Kakashi hoped his ribs were smarting. He held himself rigidly still, the effort it took not to flinch back tremendous, but he held strong and carefully kept his demeanor neutral even as he was panicking inside.

And Genma, the bastard, had the gall to look amused at his situation.

The kid approached him cautiously and, with a hopeful smile, presented the bento to him, the wrapped parcel looking much like an offering, perched as it was on her outstretched hands in front of her, level with his navel. He stared at it silently for a moment, hands hanging limply at his side, confused and unsure what to do in this strange situation. He must have waited too long (or maybe her little arms were simply tired of holding the bento above her head), for Sakura's bright smile abated and her countenance shifted from bright and happy to sad and ashamed. With a blink of moist eyes, she started to hang her head. (Of course, he wouldn't want a bento made by a kid. He probably didn't want to associate with a Forehead Girl like her, even if he had helped her once. She shouldn't have presumed anything and tried to make friends. She should…)

She clutched her bento to her chest as she turned around, head hung low to hide the tears threatening to fall from her gem-like eyes and started to shuffle back to Gai and Genma. Maybe she could return home and lock herself in her room and pretend this had never happened. Or until they forgot about her. A few years should do it, right?

Kakashi looked past her pastel-haired head at Gai and Genma who were looking at him reproachfully, arms crossed on their chests. Something squeezed his chest painfully and he wondered what to do. What was the protocol in a situation like this? What would Obito have done?

He almost wanted to kick himself. Obito, chivalrous moron that he had been, would never have made a girl cry and would have scolded him harshly before going to the girl to try and stop her from crying.

He sighed, knowing when to concede defeat.

The child was surprised when a large hand reached above her to pluck the parcel from her hands. Heart beating wildly in anticipation, she turned to look at the masked ninja scrutinizing the package as though trying to see how to defuse it.

"This is for me, right?" he asked in a low voice. At her emphatic nod, and trying not to notice his fellow ninja's wide grins, he continued, "Made it yourself?"

"I did!" chirruped Sakura proudly, puffing her chest, all sadness forgotten. "Kaa-san showed me how!"

"Hm…Well, I'm going to have to try it, it seems." And since he had no intention to let Gai and Genma slip away if there was a chance this was uneatable, he directed at them pointedly, "You two will certainly help me taste-test it, right? Since you were so nice to take her here, you definitely deserve to share my spoils."

Gai seemed unfazed, but Genma's grin diminished somewhat as he recognized the underlying threat for what it was. The "or else" was clearly felt in his voice, but when Sakura looked at him, he simply pointed to a nearby tree where he had left his pack and said mildly, "Wanna share? I'm sure there's plenty for everyone."

Her smile was blinding as she raced ahead of them to the tree and plopped to the ground before scrambling to sit primly, probably how her mother had taught her.

Kakashi walked there much more leisurely, murmuring viciously under his breath, "Really, _babysitting_?! You couldn't find anything else to screw up my day?"

Smiling brightly, Genma draped an arm around his shoulder and strolled along, making sure Sakura couldn't hear them or read his lips, "In my defense, she was already heading your way when I found her. I simply directed her in the right direction."

Gai, on the other hand, felt no compunction to lower his voice.

"It gladdens my heart to see that you still interact with the youthful people of our glorious village, my friend! Come, let's eat the undoubtedly delicious bento the young blossom has prepared for you and rejoice at loveliness of this day that shall be forever engraved in my heart!"

Still, Kakashi had to admit later (and very privately, thank you very much), watching Sakura balance precariously (at least until she got the hang of it and shifted her center) but with a wide grin and pearly laughter atop Gai who was doing a handstand on a single hand with a thumbs up in their direction while she was perched like a dancer on his feet that the Green Beast somehow managed to keep from moving at all, very much a living pillar, that it wasn't as bad as he had feared it would be.

The bento had proved to be surprisingly palatable, and since Gai's attention had been mostly fixated on the happy child, Kakashi had been granted a well-appreciated reprieve. Even Genma, who was now lounging in the shade next to him like an old man for a postprandial nap, lips quirking in a secret smile around his senbon, was keeping from aggravating him overly much, though that might have been simply because he was feeling warm and sleepy after eating the simple but calories-packed lunch. He pondered for a moment whether to tell the child or not that she had made too much for a single person, but then nearly sat up straight at that, shaking his head at the thought. As if there was a possibility of this happening again! What a preposterous idea.

Still…

He glanced once more at the duo frolicking around on the grass. Sakura, noticing him staring, waved brightly and Gai invited him loudly to join them on their youthful game. He declined with a little dismissing wave of his hand even as Genma snickered softly next to him and if his elbow jostled his cracked ribs on the way down. Well. Anyone could be clumsy from time to time.

Well. There were worse ways to spend an afternoon, loath as he was to admit it. And if a subsequent game of the child and man-child in front of him turned into a vicious game of ninja tag between him and Gai while Sakura cheered them on, clapping cheerfully at the side with Genma there to make sure none of their lethal tricks harmed her, he could always blame Gai for his childishness; everyone knew he tended to bring up outlandish challenges now and then. And as for himself…nobody ever claimed he was mature.

888888888888

Slowly getting back into the beat of things…Hope you liked this!


End file.
